Responsive and adaptive chart controls

Abstract

A method, a system, and a computer readable storage medium for automatically adjusting a chart on a display device. The adjustment is implemented in a chart control, which is installed as a library used in chart applications. An application developer determines the extent to which the chart control is implemented for each chart. Application developers implement chart control libraries so that a user of an application having a chart that references the chart control library can experience at least the following features, irrelevant of chart size, screen size, and screen type: responsive tooltip, zoom in, zoom out, responsive zoom slider, action on selection and selection bar, thumbnail mode, responsive toolbar, responsive legend, responsive format, responsive display or an axis, and responsive display of horizontal bars. Additional features available through the chart control library are related to both user gesture changes and also chart layout changes, which both vary based on the chart size, the screen type of a user device, and screen size of the user device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for automatically adjusting a chart to a display device, the method being implemented by one or more data processors forming part of at least one computing device and comprising:
 determining, by at least one data processor, that a chart is implemented in a software application being executed on the display device, and that the chart is implemented in a graphical user interface of the application on the display device:
 determining, by at least one data processor, at least one adaptation factor; 
 performing, by at least one data processor, a media query to obtain information characterizing the at least one adaptation factor; and 
 automatically adapting, by at least one data processor, a visualization and adjusting an interaction of the chart in the graphical user interface based on the at least one adaptation factor, 
 wherein the at least one adaptation factor is one of: a size of the chart, a size of a screen of the display device, a type of the screen of the display device, 
 wherein adjusting the interaction comprises:
 determining, by at least one data processor, which of a plurality of interactive gestures can be performed on the chart in the graphical user interface based on the results from the media query; and 
 implementing, by at least one data processor, the determined interactive gestures in the graphical user interface; and 
 
 wherein adapting the visualization comprises:
 relocating, by at least one data processor, a toolbar associated with the chart and reducing the content of the toolbar based on the size of the chart. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: if the at least one adaptation factor is the size of the chart: performing the media query comprises querying, by at least one data processor, an application hosting the chart for the chart size. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: if the at least one adaptation factor is the size of the screen of the display device: performing, the media query for the size of the screen. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: if the at least one adaptation factor is the type of the screen of the display device: performing the media query for the type of the screen. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , responsive to the at least one adaptation factor being the size of the chart, the automatically adapting the chart further comprising: adjusting, by at least one data processor, a layout of the chart to the determined chart size. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the adjusting the layout includes at least one of:
 reducing, by at least one data processor, at least some of the features of the chart; 
 enlarging at least some of the features of the chart; 
 hiding, by at least one data processor, at least some of the features of the chart. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , responsive to the at least one adaptation factor being the size of the chart, the adapting the visualization further comprising:
 adjusting, by at least one data processor, a layout of the toolbar in relation to the determined chart size. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , responsive to the at least one adaptation factor being the type of the screen of the display device, the automatically adapting the chart further comprising:
 adjusting, by at least one data processor, an interaction to the determined type of the screen. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein adjusting the interaction includes at least one of:
 recognizing, by at least one data processor, a first interactive gesture for a first screen type and a second interactive gesture for a second screen type, wherein the first interactive gesture and the second interactive gesture perform a same function on the chart. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 5 , wherein adjustment of the layout is performed by at least one of: (i) a responsive display of horizontal bars, (ii) a responsive display of an axis, (iii) a responsive format, (iv) a responsive legend, and (v) a responsive toolbar. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjustment of the interaction is performed by at least one of: (i) a thumbnail mode, (ii) an action on selection, and (iii) a responsive zoom slider. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , wherein adjustment of the interaction is performed by at least one of: (i) a zoom out, (ii) a zoom in, and (iii) a responsive tooltip. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein a default setting for the chart is set according to the automatic adaptation. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the size of the screen is classified as one of small, medium, and large. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the type of the screen is classified as one of touchscreen and non-touchscreen. 
     
     
       16. A system for automatically adjusting a chart to a display device, the system comprising: at least one server having a database hosting a library, the at least one server: receiving one of: (i) over a network connection and (ii) over a local connection, a request from an application to access the library, and providing, over the network connection and in response to the request, the library for installation;
 wherein the library automatically adapts the chart to the display device by:
 determining, by at least one data processor, that a chart is implemented in a software application being executed on the display device, and that the chart is implemented in a graphical user interface of the application on the display device:
 determining at least one adaptation factor; 
 performing a media query to obtain information characterizing the at least one adaptation factor; and 
 automatically adapting a visualization and adjusting an interaction of the chart in the graphical user interface based on the at least one adaptation factor, 
 wherein the at least one adaptation factor is one of: a size of the chart, a size of a screen of the display device, a type of the screen of the display device, 
 wherein adjusting the interaction comprises:
 determining, by at least one data processor, which of a plurality of interactive gestures can be performed on the chart in the graphical user interface based on the results from the media query; and 
 implementing, by at least one data processor, the determined interactive gestures in the graphical user interface; and 
 
 wherein adapting the visualization comprises:
 relocating, by at least one data processor, a toolbar associated with the chart and reducing the content of the toolbar based on the size of the chart. 
 
 
 
 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer readable storage device storing program instructions that, when executed, cause a processing device to perform a method for automatically adjusting a chart to a display device, the method comprising:
 determining, by at least one data processor, that a chart being implemented in a software application being executed on the display device, and that the chart is implemented in a graphical user interface of the application on the display device:
 determining at least one adaptation factor; 
 performing a media query to obtain information characterizing the at least one adaptation factor; and 
 automatically adapting a visualization and adjusting an interaction of the chart in the graphical user interface based on the at least one adaptation factor, 
 wherein the at least one adaptation factor is one of: a size of the chart, a size of a screen of the display device, a type of the screen of the display device, 
 wherein adjusting the interaction comprises:
 determining, by at least one data processor, which of a plurality of interactive gestures can be performed on the chart in the graphical user interface based on the results from the media query; and 
 implementing, by at least one data processor, the determined interactive gestures in the graphical user interface; and 
 
 wherein adapting the visualization comprises:
 relocating, by at least one data processor, a toolbar associated with the chart and reducing the content of the toolbar based on the size of the chart. 
 
 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display device comprises a touch-screen interface and the gestures all comprise types of interactions with the touch-screen interface. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adapting the visualization comprises at least one of changing dimensions, scaling, enlarging, extending, magnifying, spreading, constricting, hiding, lessening, reducing, compressing, shrinking, and adjusting to a ratio. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adapting the visualization further comprises reducing, by at least one data processor, an amount of data in the chart through approximation or rounding.